Vehicle door locking device



June.4, 1940, 'r. H. CLARKSON-JONES VEHICLE DQOR LOCKING DEVICE Filed Jan. 12; 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m 4 m V m 72/oM/15 C'LARMSON- W I ATTORNEYJ June 4, 1940. T. H. CLARKSON-JONES 2,202,833

VEHICLE DOOR LOCKING DEVICE Filed Jan. 12, 1938 a 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. THO/1A6 f7! CAAIF/rsON-JO/VES ATTORNEYJ Patented June 4, 1940 UNITED STATES VEHICLE DOOR LOCKING DEVICE Thomas Harison Clarkson-Jones, Toronto,

Ontario, Canada Application January 12, 1938, Serial No. 184,516

12 Claims.

This invention relates to door locking devices to leave the windows open or partially open for and particularly to a door locking system which is especially adaptable for use on motor vehicles. It is very generally the custom at present to provide locking devices on the doors of a motor vehicle which are capable of locking one door from the outside and the remaining doors from the inside. The practice has been in looking the doors from the inside to simply provide a manual control or handle on each door which when moved to a given position will lock the door. It has been the custom to provide a key controlled device for locking one door. from the outside of the vehicle so that when the vehicle was left unoccupied with all the windows in closed condition and the doors other than the key controlled one locked from the inside the car might be fully locked upon locking the key controlled door from the outside.

The complete locking operation as now practiced for a four door vehicle entails as many as twelve to fourteen separate locking operations, including the windows, all of which locking operations take a considerable amount of time and 25 trouble. With such a large number of locking operations to be performed, it is very easy to overlook one or more of the necessary operations and thus the vehicle is left an easy prey for thieves. Even if all the doors are locked and the windows closed, an intruder could very easily break a glass pane in one of the doors and reach inside for the handle of the lock in order to unlock the door and enter the vehicle. In those vehicles equipped with no draft ventilation windows, it is relatively easy to gain access to the door controls in the interior of the vehicle by forcing these windows with a screw driver or other form of jimmy.

It is the object of this invention to provide a 4 novel system for locking the doors of motor vehicles in one operation and in such a way that the doors cannot be manually unlocked from the inside. The single locking operation for all the doors of the vehicle reduces the amount of 45 time for locking and unlocking the vehicle and positively insures that all doors are locked in one operation. The locking system is preferably ventilation without fear of an intruder entering the vehicle by reaching in and releasing the inside control of one of the door locking mechanisms which is now possible for an intruder to 5 do where the conventional door locking devices are used. The novel system as illustrated herein is auxiliary to the customary door latching devices heretofore used and is operable independently thereof, but the system may, if desired, be 10 used as the sole means for locking the doors.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a door locking system especially adaptable for motor vehicles which is constructed in a fool-proof manner and a door locking system 1 characterized by ease and economy in manufacture and use. The elements of which this system is composed are few and simple in construction so that they may be economically manufactured and assembled either in existing motor vehicles or in new vehicles before-they have left the manufacturing plant.

Various other objects, advantages and meritorious features of this invention will become more apparent from the following specification, appended claims, and accompanying drawings. wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the upper portion of a motorvehicle showing the position of the door locking devices on opposite sides of the vehicle and the operating means connecting the devices for joint operation,

Fig. 2 is a top view of a portion of a motor vehicle, broken away for clarity, showing the manner of connecting the door locking devices on opposite sides of the vehicle by a flexible cable.

Fig. 3 is an interior rear view of one of the door locking devices,

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the door locking devices in Fig. 3 taken along line 4-4 in Fig. 3 and showing the manner, of assembling the device in a pillar post of a motor vehicle,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the locking device in Fig. 3 taken along line 55 in Fig, 3 and also showing the manner of assembling the device in the pillar post of a vehicle,

Fig. 6 is a detail cross-sectional view of one of the rotatable members employed in the locking devices showing its association with a shaft and key operated mechanism therefor,

Fig. '7 is a detail cross-sectional View of another rotatable member employed in one of the locking devices showing the manner of rotatably 55 supporting the same between the walls of a housing,

Fig. 8 is an outside front view of a pillar post of a motor vehicle showing the manner in which the key operated mechanism projects through the pillar post for operation from the outside of the vehicle, and

Fig. 9 is a view of a modification of the invention showing an installation of the locking system on an existing motor vehicle.

The door locking system of the present invention comprises two or more locking devices mounted at remote places in a motor vehicle and operatively connected together for joint operation from a single control. If the motor vehicle in which this system is to be installed has pillar posts on opposite sides of the vehicle against which the unhinged sides of one or more doors abut in closed position, a locking device of the type described herein may preferably be installed in such pillar post for locking the door or doors associated therewith. In motor vehicles of the sedan type having two doors on each side of the vehicle arranged to swing into engagement with a pillar post common to both doors the two doors on each side of the vehicle may be locked by a single locking device. Ihe locking devices of this invention are so constructed that when installed in the pillar posts of such a vehicle they are capable of simultaneously locking the doors on opposite sides of the pillar posts. My invention may, however, be operatively associated with only one door on each side of a vehicle if the construction of the vehicle is of this character. Additional locking devices of the character described herein might be included in the system for locking the cover or door to a trunk compartment or for locking the hood or bonnet over the engine of the vehicle.

Referring in detail to the drawings, one locking device in the system, generally indicated at it, is key operated. The other device or devices in the system are controlled remotely from this key operated device by suitable operating means. The operating means here provided is of the flexible cable type as will be hereinafter described. The other locking device, or devices if more than one such is employed in the system, is generally indicated by the reference numeral 12. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the locking devices are connected by a cable sheath l i in which a flexible wire cable It is disposed. Bowden type of cable may be employed. Cable 56 operatively connects the two devices ill and !2 together and is adapted to transmit the key action imposed on the device In to device l2. The cable control means is shown extending from one side of the vehicle to the other through the top structure of the vehicle. It is concealed from view between the top panel and the headlining. The cable control may extend, if desired, through the floor or in any other way to connect the locking devices together.

The locking system illustrated herein is incorporated into a vehicle of the sedan type. The locking device I0 is preferably located on the right hand side of the vehicle in a fixed support such as the pillar post I8. The remote device I2 is preferably located in a fixed support on the U other side of the vehicle such as in the pillar post 20. Each side of the motor vehicle of the type illustrated herein is provided with two doors arranged so that their unhinged sides abut such pillar posts when the doors are closed. Lock bolts in each device l0 and i2 are capable of being projected from opposite sides of the pillar posts l8 and to simultaneously engage and lock the doors on opposite sides of the pillar posts.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5 the interior construction of the locking device it is illustrated. The locking device I2 is very similar in construction. In general the description of device if] will apply to device l2 except as will be hereinafter pointed out.

The device in comprises a metal casing or housing 22 which is completely closed except for certain openings through which operating ole-- ments extend. This housing has a cover plate 24 for permitting access to the interior of the device. The housing is secured to the inner wall surfaces of the pillar post in any suitable way such as by means of projecting metal tongues 25 and screws 28.

A shaft extends across this housing. One end of the shaft is journalled in a trunnion 32 formed by the cover plate. The opposite end of the shaft carries a cylindrical key-operated mechanism 34 whose construction is of the general type customarily used on motor vehicles. Secured to the side wall 36 opposite the cover plate is a hollow cylindrical member 33 which pro jects coaxially with the shaft and key-operated mechanism and forms an extension to the housing as shown in Fig. 4. This cylindrical extension opens through the outside wall 40 of the pillar post so that the keyhole 42 of the mechanism 34 is exposed to the outside of the vehicle as shown in Fig. 8. The flanges 44 of the doors 45 partially overlap upon the outside wall ii] of the pillar post when the doors are closed. These flanges are here shown as each cut back in a semi-circular manner opposite the keyhole 42 as shown in Fig. 8 to allow the insertion and turning movement of the key. The spacing between these flanges might be such as to avoid necessity of such cut outs.

Fixed to the shaft 30 is a member or sheave wheel 46. This member is provided with a grooved periphery 48 which is preferably of a substantial width and formed with a flat bottom 5!]. A flexible element 52 preferably in the form of a flexible metal strip or tape is partially wound around the sheave wheel 46 and lies within the groove 48 against the flat bottom thereof. The opposite rims of the groove 48 are angularly slotted as at 54 in Fig. 3 to receive a transverse pin 56. The flexible metal tape is secured to pin 56 in the manner shown in this figure. The connection formed by the pin 56 in the angular slot 54 enables the flexible tape to be readily detached when desired. The member or sheave wheel 45, however, is capable when rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 to tension the tape 52 and wind the same further around its periphery.

The opposite end of the flexible tape 52 is socured to one end of the flexible cable l6 which is preferably of relatively narrow diameter as shown. The cable l6, as previously explained, is sheathed within a conduit I4 which connects the cable to the locking device l2 in the other pillar post. One end, such as the upper end of the housing 22, is provided with an opening 58 through which the cable [6 is lead. Threaded in this opening is a sleeve 60 forming a guide for the cable It. The outer threaded end of sleeve fill is shaped in the form of a cup. A pressed metal rounded cap is fitted snugly over the sheath l4 and is free to move in the cupped bottom of sleeve Gil. The freedom of movement of the cap may be as much as 10 from the vertical. A nut 63 threaded to the sleeve is capable of adjusting the height of the sleeve to take up any slack in the cable.- The opening 58 and guide sleeve til are in tangential alignment with the groove 68 of the rotatable member so that the tape 52 extends therefrom to the cable in a vertical direction. I

The rotatable member or sheave 46 is capable upon rotation in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 to project locking bolts through openings in the opposite sides of the housing 22 so that the bolts project from. opposite sides of the pillar posts into locking engagement with the two doors on that side of the vehicle. The locking bolts are similar to one another but irregular in construction. They are preferably mounted for slidable movement across one face of the rotatable member 45 and between that face and the side wall 36 of the housing. The section of each bolt is capable of projection into locking engagement with the door on that side of the pillar post. These sections of the bolts are supported for slidable movement by inwardly extending guides 68 forming an integral part of the housing. As shown the projecting locking sections 56 of the bolts reciprocate in a path diametrical to the axis of rotation of the member d3. Each bolt is jogged intermediate its length to escape past the shaft 3 as it reciprocates. The inner end section ll of each bolt is slidably guided in its movement by a support H. The shoulder formed by the jogged central portion of each bolt abuts the shaft 33 and limits the retractible movement of each bolt. Intermediate the length of these bolts there is provided a projecting part '32 which is tensioned to a fixed part of the housing by a coil spring 14. Each coil spring M yieldingly acts to draw the bolts inwardly to un-- locked retracted position.

The rotatable member it carries pins 16 which project eccentrically from the face of the member across which the bolts slide. Each pin 16 is associated with one of the locking bolts and is adapted upon rotation of the member 4% to engage the shoulder of the bolt formed by the jogged portion thereof and upon further rotation to force the bolts outwardly from the housing against the tension of the springs M. When the turning force on the member 56 is released, the coil springs i i are of sufficient strength to retract their respective bolts and at the same time to rotate the member it back to its initial operating position.

The construction of the device generally, indicated as it? is similar to that of device it ex cept that the key operated mechanism 34 and the hollow cylindrical extension 33 is omitted. Moreover, the shaft 813 (Fig. -'7) corresponding to the shaft (it in device it may be fixed to the opposite walls of the device. The member 82 (Fig. '7) corresponding to member d5 in device i may therefore be freely rotatable upon the stationary shaft 89. Except for these differences the description of the device Hi will apply for the description of the remotely controlled device or devices !2 in the locking system.

The operation of the door locking system described herein is as follows: The system of the present invention may function as an auxiliary to the conventional latch mechanism which nor mally holds the doors closed but not key locked, though if desired such latch mechanism might be omitted. Whenit is desired to leave the vehicle in locked condition the doors are closed and the key inserted in the mechanism 34 and turned until the tumblers or wards in the mechanism are in position to lock the mechanism and the shaft 30 associated therewith. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated herein, a key, such as that indicated in dotted outline' at 86, is turned in the direction of the arrow in Fig. l. This rotates shaft 38 and member 46 fixed thereto in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3. This rotation slides the lock bolts in opposite directions outwardly of the housing so that the sections (56 of the bolts project into locking engagement with the doors on opposite sides of the pillar posts l8.

The rotation of the member 46 winds the flexible tape 52 therearound. This movement is transmitted to the cable it and by virtue of the latters connection to the rotatable member 82 in the other locking device l2 causes the lock bolts in the latter device to project and lock the doors on that side of the vehicle. As soon as the key has been turned as far as it is possible it can be withdrawn at which time the tumblers or wards in the locking mechanism 34 lock the shaft Eli and member Mi in the position to which they have been turned. v

To unlock the system, the key is inserted in the keyhole 62 This causes the tumblers or wards in the locking mechanisms 34 to move to unlocked position. If the operator will lessen his hold upon the key or entirely remove his hand therefrom, the ten'sioned springs M in the devices Ill and it! will exert suflicient force to retract the bolts and rotate the members it and 82 respectively to their initial unlocked position. It is therefore unnecessary for the operator to exert a turning force on the keyto unlock the sys tem; the system is capable of unlocking itself as soon as the key is inserted. Thus the system is self-operating in one, direction to control the operation of remote door locking devices It and I2.

Fig. 9 illustrates one manner in which the system may be installed on existing automobiles as an attachment. The locking devices corresponding to M] and H2 in the previously described embodiment are shown attached to the inside wall of the pillar posts at it and i2 respectively. The cable sheath connecting these two devices together is indicated at It. Instead 'of passing through the interior structure of the vehicle, this sheath may be laid upon the floor directly behind the front seat. The usual floor mat may cover the cable to conceal and protect it. The locking bolts in the devices or and 82 may be projected into engagement with specially designed boltreceiving structures or striker plates attached to the inside panel of the doors. The operation of this system is similar to that described in the previous described embodiment of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. A locking system for motor vehicles having a plurality of doors comprising, in combination, a locking device located adjacent each of said doors at points spaced from one another, cable control means connecting the devices together for joint operation, lock bolts in said devices mounted for movement from projected locking position to withdrawn unlocking position, means including said cable control means for moving said bolts simultaneously to one of said positions, resilient means acting to yieldingly urge said lock bolts in the opposite direction of their movement, manuallycontrolled mechanism operatively connected into said system and adapted to move said bolts to one position of their movement against the pressure of said resilient means and to releasably hold said bolts in such position, the resilient means in said devices being of sufficient strength to operate the system and return the bolts in the opposite direction to the other position of their movement when the bolts are released from the control of said mechanism.

2. A locking system for motor vehicles comprising, in combination, a plurality of door looking devices located in a motor vehicle adjacent the doors thereof at points spaced from one another, a rotatable member in each of said locking devices, a lock bolt in each device mounted for bodily reciprocal movement from a retracted unlocking position to a projected locking position, means in each of said devices responsive to the rotation of said members for bodily moving the lock bolt to one of said positions of its movement, resilient means in each of said devices yieldingly opposing the aforesaid movement of said lock bolts, a flexible cable extending through the vehicle and operatively connected to the rotatable members in said locking devices for joint operation, manual control means operatively con nected in said system and adapted by virtue of said cable to rotate said members jointly together to cause simultaneous movement of the lock bolts against the force of said resilient means to one position of their movement, and means for releasably locking the system in the position to which it has been adjusted by said manual control means and to thus hold the lock bolts against the force of said resilient means, said resilient means being of sufficient strength to automatically return the system to its initial operating position when the locking means is released whereby the system is self operating in one direction.

3. In a motor vehicle construction having doors on opposite sides thereof and fixed pillar posts against which the doors abut in closed position, a sheave wheel in each pillar post on opposite sides of the vehicle, door locking mechanism in each pillar post operable upon rotation of the sheave wheel in the same pillar post to be projected into locking engagement with the adjacent doors, said sheave wheels each having a rounded peripheral edge of substantial width, a flexible metal strip associated with each rotatable member and wound around the peripheral edge of their respective sheave wheels, means securing one end of the flexible strips to their respective sheave wheels, key operated means for rotating one of said sheave wheels and thus wind the flexible strip thereabout, a flexible cable connecting the unsecured ends of the flexible strips together and adapted when the key operated member is rotated to tension the cable in one direction and cause the flexible strip associated with the other sheave wheel to rotate the latter simultaneously.

4. In a mechanically operated system for looking and unlocking spaced doors in a structure, a metal housing completely closed except for a pair of openings on opposite sides thereof and an opening in one end thereof, a shaft extending horizontally across the housing and journaled in opposite side walls thereof, a sheave wheel secured tosaid shaft for joint rotation therewith, the peripheral edge of said wheel having a fiatbottomed groove therearound disposed in substantial tangential alignment with said opening in the end of the housing, a cable entering said housing through said end opening, a flexible metal tape having a section thereof lying within the peripheral groove. of said wheel, means securing one end of said tape to the periphery of said wheel, means securing the other end of the tape to the end of the cable entering the housing so that the tape extends from the wheel in a direction tangential thereto, a pair of lock bolts in the housing, means supporting said bolts for slidable movement across one face of said sheave wheel and in opposite directions to one another from retracted unlocked positions to locked positions projecting through the openings provided in the opposite sides of the housing, means eecentrically positioned on said face of said sheave wheel adapted to engage said bolts upon rotation of the wheel in one direction and to urge the bolts in opposite directions to their respec tive locked position, and resilient means associated with each lock bolt yieldingly urging the bolts to retracted position and adapted when the sheave wheel is free for turning to automatically retract the bolts and rotate the wheel back to its initial operating position.

5. In a motor vehicle construction having a pair of doors on opposite sides thereof and a fixed pillar post on each side of the vehicle between each pair of doors against which the doors abut in closed position, a metal housing in each pillar post having a pair of openings in the sides thereof and an opening in one end thereof, a shaft in each housing extending in a direction transversely to the vehicle and journaled in opposite side walls of its respective housing, said shafts each carrying a rotatable sheave wheel, a flexible cable extending transversely across the vehicle and having the opposite end sections thereof extending through the pillar posts and through the end openings in said housings, means connecting the opposite ends of said cable to the sheave wheels in said housing so that movement of the cable will impose a simultaneous rotation to said. wheels, a pair of lock bolts in each of said housings, means mounting said bolts for slidable movement in opposite directions from retracted unlocked positions to locked positions projecting through the opposite side openings of the housing and beyond the sides of the pillar positions, means on said sheavewheels adapted upon rotation thereof in one direction to urge the bolts in their respective housing to locked position projecting beyond the sides of the pillar posts, one of said housings having a hollow cylindrical extension in alignment with the shaft therein and extending through the outside wall of the pillar post, key operated means in said cylindrical extension for turning the shaft and the sheave wheel associ ated therewith and for locking the same in the position in which the bolts project from the sides of the pillar posts, the flexible cable simultaneously transmitting the action of said key operated means to the sheave wheel in the other pillar post, and resilient means associated with said bolts and yieldingly urging the same to retraeted position and adapted when the sheave wheels are free for turning to automatically retract the bolts and rotate the wheels back to initial operating positions.

6. A system for simultaneously looking a plurality of doors from a single point of control comprising, in combination, a plurality of devices each associated with a door, a rotatable member in each device, a lock bolt in each of said devices, means mounting each lock bolt in its respective device member,

between each device and connecting the row for reciprocal slidable movement from a restracted unlocking position to a locking position projecting from the device, means coupling each lock bolt to the rotatable member in the device with which it is associated and responsive to the rotation of the member in one direction to shift the bolt to one of: said positions of its movement, spring means in each device acting upon the lock bolt therein to shift the same in a direction opposite to that produced by the rotatable and cable control means extending tatable members therein for joint rotational movement and thus causing all the rotatable members to shift their respective lock bolts simultaneously to one oi said positions of their movement, said spring means being of suiTicient strength to return the entire system including the bolts, rotatable members and cable control means to the opposite positions of their movements and forming the sole means for accomplishing this return movement.

'7. In a vehicle body having a plurality of doors, a door locking system including a locking device associated with each door to lock and unlock the door, a rotatable element in each locking device, at least one member in each of said locking devices movable from a locking position to an unlocking position, spring means in the locking devices yieldingly acting upon the member and continuously urging the same toward one of said positions of their movement, means operatively coupling the rotatable elements in each device with their respective members, said means adapted upon rotation of the elements in one direction to move their respective members against the resistance of the spring means and adapted upon movement of the members in the direction urged by the spring means to cause the elements to rotate in the opposite direction, and a single cable extending between the door locking devices and so connected to the rotatable elements therein that the elements are caused to act jointly to move the members either to locking or unlocking position, and manually controlled means operable to actuate the system against the resistance of said spring means and to automatically releasably hold the system in the operating position opposite to that toward which said spring means urges the system.

8. In a vehicle having a plurality of doors, a door locking system including a locking device for each door mounted in a fixed portion of the vehicle body adjacent to the door with which it is associated, a bodily reciprocal member in each device movable from a door locking position to an unlocking position, an element in each device movable about an axis, means in each device operable upon movement of the element therein in one direction about its axis to cause the member therein to move toward one position of its movement, resilient means in each device opposing said movement of the member and element therein and yieldingly urging the member toward the other position of its movement, a single flexible cable extending between said devices and so connected to the elements therein that when one of the elements is moved against. the resistance or" said resilient means it simultaneouslycauses the elements in the other devices to do likewise, manually controllable means for moving an element in one of said devices against the resistance of said resilient means therein and by virtue of the cable to do likewise in the other devices, and

means automatically operable to releasably hold said manually controlled element. and by virtue of said cable similar elements in the other devices against the force of said resilient means when the members have been moved to the operating position opposite to that toward which they are urged by the resilient means.

j 9. In a vehicle having a plurality of doors, a system for locking and unlocking the doors com prising lock mechanism for each door including a rotatable member and a lock bolt operatively associated with the member movable from a looking position to an unlocking position, a single cable extending between the lock mecanisms connetting the rotatable members therein for joint rotation, key controlled mechanism operable to actuate the system including said rotatable members and said cable control means in one direction to move said loci; bolts simulataneously from one position of their movement to the other position, and spring means automatically operable to actuate the system including said rotatable members and said cable control means in the opposite direction to return the lock bolts to their first position of their movement. 7

10. A locking system for an enclosed structure having a plurality of doors for entering and leaving the structure comprising, in combination,

a door locking device associated with each door having a lock bolt projectable into locked position and retractable into unlocked position, spring means associated with each bolt urging it toward one position of its movement, tension means operatively connecting said devices for simultaneous movement of their bolts against the action of the spring means, manual control means operable from outside the structure for tensioning said last means and for automatically releasably locking the system when the bolts have been shifted by said tension means against the resistance of their respective spring means to the opposite positions of their movement.

11. A system for simultaneously locking a plurality of doors of a motor vehicle in one operation comprising, in combination, a plurality of devices associated with said doors of the vehicle and arranged adjacent the doors at points spaced apart from one another in the vehicle, a rotatable member in each device, cable control means extending between said devices and connected to the rotatable members therein for effecting joint rotation thereof, a lock bolt in each device, means mounting each lock bolt for movement from a retracted unlocking position to a locking position projecting lrom the device for engagement with the adjacent door, means coupling each lock bolt to the rotatable member with which it is associated and responsive to the rotation of the member in one direction to shift the bolt to one of said positions of its movement, spring means in said devices yieldingly resisting movement of the lock bolts to said last named position, the spring means in the various devices cooperating together through said cable control means and having sufiicient strength to shift the lock bolts to said other position of their movement and at the same time rotate said members to their initial operating position, and means in one of said devices automatically operable to hold the bolt therein and by reason of said cable control means to likewise hold the bolts in the other devices when the bolts are shifted to their position of movement opposite to that toward which they are urged by their respective spring means, said last means being releasable to allow the bolts. to be self-operated in the direction urged by their respective spring means.

12. In a vehicle body having at least one door on opposite sides of the body, a door locking system including a pair of door locking devices mounted in fixed portions of the vehicle body one on each side thereof, said door locking devices each being operable to either one of two positions for locking or unlocking the door on the side of the vehicle body in which it is mounted, a single cable connecting said locking devices for joint operation to either locking or unlocking position, spring means in said locking devices of a strength sufiicient to actuate the devices and the cable jointly to one of said operating positions, manually controllable means operable to actuate the system including the locking devices and the cable to the position opposite to that urged by said spring means, and means operable to releasably hold the system including the locking devices and the cable in said last named position against the force of said spring means.

THOMAS H. CLARKSON-JONES. 

